The Undying Transmigrator

Book 2: Chapter 21: Reborn Bird

Vol 2 Chapter 21: Reborn Bird

Phoenixes perch upon the parasol tree.

Feng Chuming stood dumbfounded on the tree branch, then found himself hanging upside down from it, his mind flooded with chaotic memories.

He witnessed the final days of the Chenyao Dynasty.

The current emperor was assassinated by someone claiming to be "the bringer of peace," and even the imperial court was completely slaughtered, causing the dynasty to begin its collapse.

The Imperial Mausoleum was seized by the Undying Monarch, with all the Previous Emperors falling prey to its hunger, where it forged soul summoning sacred artifacts to control the dead.

The ten-thousand-year blood feud between demons and humans erupted, with countless demons raging across the land, heaven and earth trembling as cities fell one after another to slaughter.

The Abnormal Insect, which should have been extinct, somehow regained vitality for unknown reasons, with overwhelming swarms devouring everything in their path.

Ambitious figures across the land refused to unite even in such desperate circumstances, tearing the dynasty into dozens of fragmented territories as warlords fought independently.

It was an era of madness.Morality built up over millennia crumbled instantly when faced with true desperation, and those unwilling to abandon their ideals were slaughtered while clinging to them.

Whether poor or wealthy, noble or humble, whether scholar, artisan, beggar, or magnate - whatever status they held in prosperous times became meaningless in the chaos, all lives equally worthless.

Wealth nearly lost all meaning as food prices soared to unimaginable heights, protection bought with heavy gold resulted in patrons being slaughtered the next day, and parents resorted to exchanging children for food.

War, plague, famine, death... hundreds of millions perished during escape, their bones left unburied, while even more were slaughtered, devoured, or worse - resurrected as ghost soldiers or transformed into breeding nests.

The sky never cleared again, either obscured by ghost armies marching under gloomy clouds or covered by endless insect swarms that blotted out the sun.

Thanks to the phoenix's protection, Phoenix Perch Parasol Tree remained untouched by the chaotic times, yet people repeatedly came seeking help.

That general who called himself Xuande came three times and was driven away three times, but on the third occasion, Feng Chuming slipped away from home with willing companions.

They followed that general into the maddening chaos.

They heard children wailing, heard the homeless crying out, heard the insane screaming...

No laughter remained, and even the crying gradually faded, leaving only deathly silence.

Before physical death claimed them, people's spirits seemed to die first.

Hunger was initially a problem, but soon it ceased to matter.

Refugees grew fewer, companions diminished, voices became scarce...

Some were swept away by colossal waves along with entire cities during defense, meeting again only as drenched corpse demons.

Some were ambushed and eaten alive by the refugees they sought to protect when gravely wounded, reduced to bare bones.

Some had their flesh devoured by evil spirits, hollowed out by insects growing from within, or made into human-skin paintings by demons.

Feng Chuming killed countless people, until his hands no longer showed their original color.

Executing traitors, granting peace to those who couldn't endure, helping controlled allies find release, and... eliminating enemies.

Yet even fighting to the last moment, victory remained hopeless.

"Xuande... you never got to see the world you hoped for." Feng Chuming couldn't help shedding tears.

"Smack!" His younger sister, who had been standing beside him, promptly flew down and slapped his face with her wing. "What nonsense are you spouting, stupid brother?"

"Little sister?" Feng Chuming looked at her - the one who claimed to dislike him yet followed him into that chaotic era, who covered his retreat and got captured, transformed into a puppet that slaughtered former allies, forcing him to personally end her life - and burst into uncontrollable sobs.

The younger sister, who had intended to treat her foolish brother as usual, suddenly panicked.

"Stop crying! Men shed blood not tears, pull yourself together, show the spirit of our phoenix family's men!"

"Wait, you're not planning to falsely accuse me to the grand matriarch, saying I made you cry? I'm warning you, if you don't stop, I'll start crying too!"

"I, I... hmph!" In desperation, she viciously pinched herself, causing large bloody feathers to fall out, and let out a much louder cry than his.

The other clan members dozing on the tree instantly stirred.

"What's happening?" "Did the youngsters fight?" "Please don't tell me he's gone mad like Ling'er."

The clan members spread their wings wide, making the sun pale in comparison beneath their plumage.

They possessed power sufficient to sweep through the chaotic era... if the grand matriarch didn't interfere.

Feng Chuming immediately stopped crying.

If he cried any louder and the grand matriarch arrived, he might not only face confinement but also special supervision, losing any chance to escape outside.

For the sake of all under heaven, he couldn't cry.

But his younger sister had no such concerns, crying while shouting: "How can you stop crying? I even plucked my feathers to cry with you! Waaah, my feathers!"

Damn it, under everyone's watchful eyes, he couldn't think of a good way to stop his sister's crying, and if she continued...

"What's all this crying about?" A cool voice rang out as the grand matriarch, a phoenix who always maintained human form, appeared before Feng Chuming in her crimson attire.

He had to find an excuse to divert the grand matriarch's attention, otherwise he'd be in serious trouble.

Quick, think hard!

Before Feng Chuming could devise an excuse, a friend who would later be finely chopped into bird meat filling spoke up: "Grand matriarch, little sister seems to be crying because she learned about the Divine Martial Emperor establishing a new academy but didn't qualify to attend."

"Nonsense! I... hmph." Though this wasn't a good reason, she absolutely couldn't admit to plucking her own feathers just to compete in crying volume with her stupid brother before the grand matriarch.

The grand matriarch glanced at the feather-bare spot and fell into thought.

The other clan members quietly stepped back onto parasol tree branches, retracted their heads, and stayed as silent as oversized quails.

After a long while, the grand matriarch finally spoke slowly: "I prevented you from leaving because I feared outsiders would exploit you. Your power could influence the dynasty's balance, yet remains insufficient for self-protection, especially during the dynasty's final years. If drawn into chaotic warfare, you might perish completely."

"But that Divine Martial Emperor doesn't need your power."

"You indeed have remained dormant for too long."

"I permit you to leave, but if danger arises, you must return immediately. I won't protect foolish birds who court death."

A series of cheers erupted through the parasol tree as clan members waved their wings, scattering emotional sparks everywhere.

Feng Chuming first felt stunned, then ecstatic.

He didn't know who the Divine Martial Emperor was, and things seemed to have changed subtly, but he knew where Xuande would be at this time.

If they could help him capture several cities first and summon more armies, they might contain the Undying Monarch and suppress the insect nests at this critical moment.

Perhaps they could become founders of the next dynasty...

But what exactly was that thing flying toward them from the horizon?